Saturday, February 28, 2015

We have owned a property near the beach for some years and used to use it as a weekend bach or crib when the girls were younger, but that became something of a chore, so for the past however many years it has been rented out.

Now, however, the girls seem interested in considering using it for that purpose again.

So we went to have a look at it, and re-acquaint ourselves with the area, although the weather wasn't at it's best. And that meant the Beach, and the sand-dunes.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Coming of Age in Wartime

I have been lucky enough to have been given access to a number of artefacts belonging to a cousin dating from World War 2.

Ronald James Mulligan was one of 2 sons of George Henry Mulligan, my grandfather's younger brother. George served in World War 1, from May 1916 for 3 years & 1 month.

25 years after he returned home, his eldest son enlisted in the NZ Airforce to serve his country during World War 2.

Ron kept a diary through 1944 and 1945, albeit sporadically. In it, he has entries for his two birthdays on 11 July, 1944 and again in 1945.

The 1944 entry reads: "Birthday! 20 years old today. Caught the afternoon train to Calgary [at the time he was a trainee pilot in Canada] and went to the evening show at the Stampede. [Long?] show most of it - very good. 200 Capstan from the Dept today Good show!"

The 1945 entry is succinct: "Birthday!! Small party in the mess"

Ron was the same as his father had been at enlistment - just 20 when beginning his military service. There is something terribly sad about both entries; they hint at a degree of isolation for one so young; and recall the terrible waste of lives not yet lived by war on this scale.

Both George and Ron were fortunate to return from their wars, and both lived long and worthwhile lives.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

An experiment to see if I am disciplined enough to take at least one photo every day of the year. So far, not quite! But I'm working on it.

1 January 20152 January 20153 January 20154 January 20155 January 20156 January 20157 January 20158 January 2015 - Someone in their spirit of Xmas mood9 January 2015 - Attending a funeral: Looks like a mourner to me!10 January 2015 - Tamarillos in the backyard11 January 2015 - Guarding the garden12 January 201513 January 2015 - Essential supplies for busy staff14 January 2015 - All hands to the phones15 January 201516 January 201517 January 2015 - Just stopped for a chat18 January 2015 - Monarch butterfly caterpillars19 January 2015 - Patterns on the beach20 January 2015 - New game - helping Bryan make the bed21 January 2015 - Dinner & Quiz Night at the Foggy Dew22 January 2015 - Hot weather means cold beer23 January 2015 - Explaining what we're about to colleagues24 January 2015 - Egg Beaters at Botanic Gardens25 January 2015 - The latest in Police patrol-cars26 January 2015 - Sharing a meal27 January 2015 - Water droplet reflecting the photographer28 January 2015 - Sheltering from the sun29 January 2015 - Guardians of the Gate30 January 2015 - The Gamblers await31 January 2015 - WWII flying records of RJ Mulligan